76 - Who Are You Again?

"What's going on?" Aster asked. His hands lit a candle by a table. Annie noticed how her assailant never moved his gaze from her. The closeness of his face made her realize his eyes were blue. His hand, that had pulled her fingers earlier, lifted to touch her face. She pulled away with a grimace. His hand dropped to his side.

His hands was covered with a black glove. He had covered himself fully, except for the hood that fell off his head.. She wasn't able to know the identity of her assailant. Her eyes moved up to his hair. It was black with long bangs. Some strands were tied into a blue bead.

"Annie, what are you doing here?" Aster asked. "You can let her go. She's my business associate for that fabric shop." Aster walked over and crouched near her face. He still tried to smile charmingly at her, despite the situation she was in. When the stranger didn't move, Aster frowned. He waved his hand in front of the stranger's mask. The stranger finally moved away. Annie sat up slowly, her hands still bound.

Aster struggled untying them. Looking at the knots, she noticed it was the same as her style. It was something she remembered with her fighting style. The knots would tighten if the person tied up struggled. Either the stranger knew from watching her, or he knew before how to tie them.

The room had been pitch black before. She hadn't even finished one knot. Her thoughts arrived on another conclusion. Maybe he had studied them when she had tied up Aster before? She looked at his profile. He seemed lost in thought, standing there with a hand to his chin.

Aster sighed exasperatedly, trying to pull harder. She let out a low cry of pain. The ropes had tighten more with the pull. The stranger seemed to be fed up with Aster. He moved towards them and pushed Aster away hard. His gloved hands deftly untied them easily.

Annie rubbed her wrists. There was a slight redness from the sash. Aster was rubbing his side. "Why do you always mistreat me?" he asked the masked man. She looked up to see the stranger staring at her intensely. Aster looked back and forth at them. Annie didn't say a word either while she tied her sash back on her dress.

"Why did you follow me?" the stranger finally asked. He crossed his arms. It seemed he was upset. Annie smoothed her skirt.

"I wanted to make sure you got home safely."

They both stared at her oddly. Aster pulled her near him. "Hey Annie... You shouldn't follow strangers home. Especially when they look like him," he whispered.

"I can still hear you," the stranger said. "Your explanation is obviously wrong. You followed me to find out who I am, right? You don't trust us."

Annie bristled at his cold tone. "How do you know I was wrong? I was worried about my customer. It's why I make sure they are not met with trouble on the way home."

The stranger laughed dryly. "Lies."